34. Knight in Shining Armour
34
KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOUR
ODETTE
“ C an I get some Kleenex?” Wyatt asked.
The guard in the passenger seat passed Wyatt a wad of tissues. I only knew the American brand name through television and film. I always thought it was a plug for the Company, but apparently, it was much like Hoover for vacuums in the UK. I was too distracted by putting everything together in English to do much else.
Combining compassion and concern, Wyatt pulled my chin towards him and dabbed my tears. I liked when he tugged my chin or ran his hand around my face. He didn’t complain. It seemed he’d ridden in to save me from myself. I only hoped his actions moving forward showed he wasn’t embarrassed by me.
“There. Better?” Wyatt asked most sweetly.
“I… I uh… yes?” I asked, not sure why it came out that way.
“Is Grieg alright?”
Grieg was falling asleep in my lap. Wyatt stroked the fur on the dog’s head.
“I’m… I’m coming down. I need to eat something,” I said. “It… helps.”
Wyatt squeezed my hand. “We will get you food. Promise.”
“Ma’am,” an officer said, “Her Majesty asks to speak to you.”
My sister didn’t have to ask to speak to anyone. She merely spoke.
I swallowed hard and took his secure phone. “Yes, Alex?”
“You’re okay, right? Are you okay?” She was all wound up.
“I’m fine. Asti told me you were sick. Are you not?”
“I am ill. Same old thing. Worried sick about you, though.”
“I’m… I’m okay.” I stared at Wyatt. He played with Grieg’s velvety brown ears.
“The car rolled into a ditch. Is everyone okay?”
“We’re all fine. All fine.”
“I was told Mr Worthington was with you.”
Foiled . “Uh… he was. He was also attending the conference. Both of us?—”
“It’s fine. Don’t do anything silly. I cannot fault you.”
“He made sure Grieg and I got warm quickly and helped me get out of the car,” I insisted.
“Well, as long as he was your knight in shining armour,” Alexandra’s voice warmed. “Okay. I can calm down, Rick. She’s fine.”
“I told you so!” Rick called from the background.
“I am fine. It was scary. I am compliant. I will talk to my therapist as soon as I get home.”
That satisfied her. “Take care of yourself, darling. We love you very much. If it takes you some time to get home, that is fine. Just stay safe.”
“I will,” I said. “Grieg and I are fine.”
She hung up, and I returned the phone.
“Are you in trouble?” Wyatt snickered.
“No. She was very concerned. Hormonal. She loves me a lot and wants me to be safe.”
“I think that makes sense. I’d say the same to my sister.”
“You have a sister? That’s right. You did mention her. She lives in the States?”
“Rebecca, yeah. She lives in St Louis, where I grew up. She and her husband own a brewery. She’s only a bit older, but she worries about me.”
“A brewery, you say? That sounds wonderful! Do you get free beer? ”
“Anytime I am home, yes!” Wyatt brimmed. “Do you like beer?”
“Yes. Don’t look so surprised!”
He smiled. “We’ll have to try some beer sometime.”
“Agreed.”
The car pulled into a tiny Dutch town. We crawled past cute houses and shops, scrolled past the city centre, and found ourselves in front of a grand house. I had no idea why we were here. The doors opened, and a man appeared. I stepped down from the SUV with Grieg in my arms to speak with him.
“You’re Royal Highness, welcome,” he said with a bow. “My name is Jens, and I will care for you and your guest.”
“Thank you, Jens.” I still had no idea what was happening or whose house this was.
“Ma’am, Queen Julia would like to welcome you to her south country residence, Gele Huis. Come in and make yourselves at home.”
Alexandra intervened. I hated and loved her for this. At least we would have a safe place to stay overnight. However, how awkward was this about to get?
“Should I take the two of you to your room? Or would you like to start elsewhere?”
“ Kamers ,” I said. Rooms .
He stopped. In Dutch, I explained, “We will need two rooms.”
The butler nodded and looked back at Wyatt, confused. “Of course, of course. Does that suit you if I show you to your rooms?”
Two footmen took our coats, leaving me holding Grieg alone. I worried it might not be polite to let him roam.
“I think it’s best if Her Royal Highness sits down and relaxes,” Wyatt’s inflexion was protective and strong. “She has been knocked around a bit. I think she needs to take a load off.”
“Of course. I will have the staff put your bags in the rooms Her Majesty has assigned, and we will go from there. Can I get anyone a drink?”
“I will just take a soda. A Coke if you have one. I’m not drinking,” I said, feeling silly.
“Same for me,” Wyatt spoke up.
Jens looked offended but nodded at a maid standing by to bring us our soft drinks. Then, he led us into a cosy, simple living room. The Dutch Royals knew my sister and her children well. I didn’t realise The Queen had a house here.
“We have a guardian angel of sorts,” I said.
“It appears that way. Breaking down right by this place. Your sister called ahead?”
I nodded. “She didn’t admit it, but she did. You can do that when you’re a queen.”
Grieg sat on my lap. Wyatt plopped down next to me. “The Queen’s house, huh? So this is how the other half lives.”
“Says the tech billionaire,” I teased. “Wyatt, you’re American and may not be of royal blood, but you are far more than the other half .”
“You’re right, but Americans always think Europeans are more cosmopolitan.”
“Do you think that about me?”
“In twenty-four hours, I have heard you speak four languages. So, yes.”
I blushed. “It’s all I could do for years. I didn’t have a normal school day. I didn’t have a normal anything. Astrid was the general brains of the operation. Alexandra was a queen. Ingrid is the beauty. I had to distinguish myself somehow.”
A maid set down our drinks.
“Thanks so much,” Wyatt said with overwhelming kindness that frightened the poor girl. Americans and Brits could be aggressively warm. I loved it.
I took a sip, but Wyatt focused on me, his eyes never leaving.
“You can say what you want, Odette, but you’re gorgeous.”
“You’re too kind.”
“I’m not.”
“I’m the chubby one,” I said.
“Well, if you truly believe that, I prefer a woman like you. A woman who has hips and thighs and… everything else.”
He wanted to say more but stayed well-mannered.
I blushed.
“Who did this to you?”
“What do you mean? ”
“Who made you feel like this? Odette, you’re a wonderful person. A person I don’t deserve to have around. Who broke you down?”
Guy Lupine .
“It’s objective.”
“It’s not. You don’t have to tell me. But I know it’s some guy who fucked with your head.”
Jens reappeared. “Is everything fine?”
“Yes, thank you,” I said.
“We will be glad to serve dinner. Does a roast chicken suit?”
“She’s a vegetarian,” Wyatt said. “So, we’ll need something meatless.”
“Oh, interesting to note. Of course. We will accommodate you as best we can, ma’am. Give me a moment.”
I turned back to Wyatt. “I… it was a lot. My grandmother used to weigh us. She was hardest on Alexandra because she was the oldest, marriageable one. However, the larger my body grew, the more derision it attracted. And then… well, there was my ex.”
I grimaced at the thought of Guy’s hands on my thighs, pulling back out of this lovely, vulnerable moment we were having. The panic response slowly rose, and my throat felt once more like it was closing.
“Shhh, shhh,” Wyatt was calm and sweet. “Hey, stick with me, Odie. I didn’t mean to freak you out. Whoever it was… he’s a piece of shit. I’m sorry that happened.”
I trusted Wyatt’s honesty. He held my hand, never dropping his gaze. His blue eyes were soft and kind, but his brow and the wrinkles just above it furrowed ever so slightly. He was concerned but not panicked. He cared . This was what it was like to have a man not in my immediate family care about me. I nodded as a thanks. Jens reappeared.
“We will have a marinara sauce with pasta if that suits you. It will be about an hour.”
“That’s great, thanks,” I said.
Jens left, satisfied. Wyatt’s eyes searched my face, wondering what to do next. I took his hand and pressed it to my cheek. Unsure why I did it, I almost stopped midway, but the impulse overcame me. I needed his touch to ground me. Wyatt stroked my cheek affectionately, then tipped my chin up slightly. He leaned in and kissed me. A shiver fled down my spine, coursing straight to my centre—the place he’d made warm and hot yesterday with just a bit of touch.
Wyatt pulled back and brushed hair behind my ear. “You deserve better.”